Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to transport of methane. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to transport of methane by sea.
Description of Related Art
Many governments, as well as some companies, seek to reduce greenhouse warming of the Earth, but cannot escape their dependence on fossil fuels. Methane is a preferable fossil fuel, emitting less carbon per joule than other fossil fuels. Moving methane by pipeline works well on land. However, pipelines do not work for transporting methane long distances across oceans.
Traditionally, methane is rarely transported by ship on the seas because the cost to make methane dense enough for economical shipping is prohibitive. In this regard, methane may be subjected to cryogenic refrigeration, high pressures, or both in order to provide the necessary density. The methane (or natural gas, which is mostly methane) must be liquefied, which may require temperatures below minus twenty Celsius. However, obtaining such temperatures and pressures typically requires substantial quantities of energy, thereby increasing the cost thereof, and making such transport economically infeasible. Further, ships able to refrigerate large volumes well enough to keep methane liquefied are relatively expensive. Therefore, methane is used very little in regions without indigenous sources.
However, it may be desirable to transport methane by sea. Thus, advances with respect to methane transport may be desirable.